Nowhere to plant a flag in Andriivka, it's destroyed
The village of Andriivka near Bakhmut has been completely destroyed in combat actions.
Source: Oleksandr Borodin, a press officer of the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade, during the 24/7 national joint newscast; news outlet Suspilne with reference to a comment by Olena Danko, head of Ivanivka district; Associated Press
Quote from Borodin: "It [Andriivka – ed.] has been liberated. Unfortunately, it's in such a state that I'm not sure if it's possible to install a flagpole there.
... Andriivka itself is gone. Let's face it. It's completely destroyed, but as an area, the square is important.
This [control over Andriivka] is an important step, after which you can take more steps to encircle [the Russians]."
Details: Borodin said that the Russians had planted many mines in the area during their defence, so the Ukrainian military was moving towards it very carefully to save "the maximum number of soldiers".
He clarified that there are no civilians in Andriivka, and have been for quite some time. The settlement was heavily damaged during Russian winter attacks.
Olena Danko, head of Ivanivka district, of which Andriivka is a part, stated in a comment to Suspilne that all the residents had evacuated to other regions of Ukraine. She said that the combat actions there began in September 2022. At the time of the occupation, there were no civilians there. Before the full-scale invasion, 77 people lived in the village.
Background:
- On 14 September, Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar claimed that Ukraine's Defence Forces had liberated the settlement of Andriivka on the Bakhmut front. The command of the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade officially retracted her statement, saying it was wrong and premature.
- Subsequently, Malyar explained this situation was caused by "a communication failure between several sources of information reporting directly from the scene."
- On 15 September, the Ukrainian Armed Forces liberated Andriivka during their assault actions, are continuing their offensive, and have had partial success in the area of Klishchiivka in Donetsk Oblast.
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